LB to KC and back

So last Tuesday (March 18), I went to Kansas City. Now, mind you, this was a school day. You see, over spring break the week earlier I had been completing my UK visa application. That wonderful piece of paperwork cost me a day's afternoon just filling out the app, finding pictures, and gathering supporting documents (including bank statements!). Goodness. But no, more was to come! I needed one final piece of paper. This last sheet required that I travel to an office containing equipment to take my "biometric data", whatever that meant. Alrighty, I live in Burlington and Kirksville. The nearest locations are Des Moines, St. Louis, and Kansas City. Each is the same distance, so I chose KC since I had never been there by myself-- great reason, huh? After confirming my appointment for 13:00 (not 1:00 PM, 13:00) on Tuesday, March 18, I awaited the day when I could finally send my app to the British consulate in Chicago (good thing I didn't have to go there!).

Monday night after supper, I was going upstairs to my room and suddenly realized, "Hey wait, I'm going to Kansas City tomorrow. Huh. Maybe I should get ready for that." Goodness. It was such a random trip, it hadn't quite hit me yet! I stopped by the library to pick up an audio book, hoping it would take my mind off the six hours of driving. The next morning, I left for KC but only after securing a mocha and cheese danish from Jazzman's and popping my audio CDs into the player. Google directions in hand, off I went!

Three hours later, I arrived at an office for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Oooooh, mildly intmidating. I saw a couple of foreign-looking people go in, so I figured I was in the right place and proceeded to enter the blocky building. I exited twenty minutes later, stamped biometric data form in hand. Now just what did they do to me? Well, a lady scanned each of my fingerprints and took my picture (I could smile but not show my teeth--still don't know why). She stamped my form, wrote down some numbers, confirmed my passport number, and told me I was done. Back out in the parking lot, I jumped in my car and proceeded back to Kirksville, not stopping for the rest of the trip (although the Pier1 store was rather tempting). The weird red pepper hummus wrap I had bought at the SUB before leaving was definitely not working so well, so I munched on kettle corn for lunch.

There you have it. Six hours of driving for a twenty minute appointment. *shakes head* Wow. Honestly, I just laugh. Getting that document had to be done to finish my visa app, it was just funny that obtaining it required a completely random, middle-of-the-week trip to Kansas City. My app should now be in Chicago with the British consulate. Hopefully everything works out!

Creation

Momentous Moment: This is my first blog post ever. I've heard a good amount about 'em, but I never got into MySpace or anything like that. In any case, I wanted to set up this blog to chronicle my trip this summer-- what it entails before, during, and after. I hope this soon-to-be filled plot of web real estate will help me keep in contact with family and friends back in the States, so make sure to pass along your comments as they come! Have fun reading, and I'll try to update regularly with my progress, both mental and physical, towards London's Aim.